Once a Jedi, Always Serving the Order
by Master Solo
Summary: Cowritten with CodenameTargeter. Mace Windu fic.


**SilSolo**

Once a Jedi, Always Serving the Order

"Congratulations, you have a healthy boy." The woman smiled with what energy she still retained as the long awaited words finally landed on her ears. A lock of large, jet-black curls was pushed aside as a medical droid handed her the child.

Like the mother, the boy's flawless skin had a rich, chocolate tone. Also like his mother before him, the child projected a powerful presence through the Force. It was as if the pallid and powerless parent never existed.

The dreaded moment came when the medical droid read the boy's midi-chlorian count. _I guess we can't keep this one, either._ The woman sensed the thought from her husband. She almost sighed. "No, Davin, he'll have to go in half a year. I have to keep my word."

Almost every sentient being in the Republic knew the cost of willfully resigning from the Jedi Order, especially for the purpose of marriage. The woman, like every other who had followed her path, had signed a contract before leaving the Jedi. Every Force-strong child born to a former Jedi was to be turned over to the crèche in the Jedi temple at six standard months, or an equivalent age for each non-human species.

"Would you like for your son to become a Jedi?" The medical droid offered the Davin and his ex-Jedi wife a datapad.

"Yes, he must. I have no choice." The woman groaned.

"Nomi!" Davin nearly shouted in desperation. He then recoiled. "Never mind." He then thought as loudly as a non-Force sensitive could. _I just don't want to lose Mace like we did Xena._

"Ma'am, were you a Jedi?" The somewhat curious droid inquired the woman after receiving hints from both her name and her words.

"Yes, I was a Jedi Knight once." The dark skinned woman admitted hesitantly.

"Very well. Would you for like a convoy to transport your son from your residence to the Jedi temple?" The droid resumed his job.

The woman's rich, dark eyes connected with the almost identical ones of her son. How she wished she was never a Jedi so she could keep this child for almost two decades! Realization hit the ex-Jedi. This boy was more powerful than his mother and sister combined, and it would be selfish and cruel, not only to the child, but to the entire galaxy, to withhold a great Jedi.

"I'll take him to Coruscant." The woman finally decided.

"But…" Davin began to protest.

"He's much stronger than Xena. We-we can't keep him. The galaxy deserves another great Jedi." With those words, Nomi Da Boda Windu collapsed from the exhaustion that no Force-induced trance could wash away.

"You can train him!"

"No, hun, Mace deserves a Jedi Master, not an ex-Knight." The ex-Jedi barely moaned. 

"We can't just lose another child like that!" 

"We didn't lose any kids. The galaxy gained two more defenders. If we're lucky, Mace and Xena will come to us, as Jedi Masters." As she heard the words that Jedi training had brought out, insight once again visited her. Nomi could only hope that Mace would discover Xena the way his mother had found her siblings and that her children, unlike their mother before them, would find and speak with their parents.

More tears streaked down Nomi's face as she remembered her painful and futile attempts to locate Taior Da Boda, the man who, forty years ago, had done to Nomi and her siblings what the woman did to Xena. _And now Mace_ The woman sighed. Such was the cruel and yet generous way of the Jedi. Even after one resigned, that person would still serve the order by turning in their offspring.

**CodeNameTargeter** continuation:

It wasn't something that she liked, and it wasn't something that she'd ever like. At times, she felt herself almost hating the Jedi, whom she had once been a part of, for taking for two beautiful children from her. 

All she wanted was to live her husband Davin and to raise their two children together.

But it would never happen. Never. Xena was already gone and in six months, so would Mace.

The tears continued to flow down her face as emotions over took her. It wasn't fair. She had never asked to be a Jedi. Why, simply because she had found love, must she sacrifice so much for it?

Davin's strong arms wrapped around her. "Shh, it'll be alright," he said comfortingly even though both of them knew his words were no more than empty comforts. He shifted his weight so he was sitting on the edge of the bed beside her.

"I'm sorry," she stammered out through her tears. "I didn't want to start crying like this, I promised myself that I wouldn't."

He didn't reply, only rocked her back and forth gently.

"It's not fair for either of us," Nomi said, "Especially not for you. I'm the one who was a Jedi and you're being forced to pay the same price as I am for it."

"Nomi, listen to me," Davin said, pulling back and taking her firmly by the shoulders. "You said it yourself, the galaxy will be gaining two wonderful Jedi because of Xena and Mace. We can always have more children. It's not your fault."

"Thank you, Davin," she whispered softly, whipping the tears from her face before picking up Mace and hugging him closely to her, taking what joy she could from his presence while she could.

Three years later, Davin Windu was kneeling in front of a freshly dug grave, his eyes red-rimmed. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. What had they done to deserve this?

About two weeks ago, Nomi had given birth to a child, a beautiful baby girl who looked just like her older sister Xena had at that age. The best part was that the baby, whom they had named Theia, was as force-blind as her father. Finally, the silent pleas from both Davin and Nomi had been answered.

But everything had changed the next day. Nomi had begun to complain of weakness and times when she felt faint. The doctors had examined her and found that she had internal bleeding that was slowly, but surely, stealing away her life.

It had taken three days for his beautiful wife to die and those three days had been some worst in his life. Her last words had been "Take care of Theia."

And that was exactly what Davin planned to do, no matter what.

He grabbed a handful of the loose dirt before him and slowly let it fall back through his fingers. He had no tears left to cry for they had all been used right after her death.

"I promise I'll look after Theia, love," he whispered, "I promise I'll look after all of them."


End file.
